MASTODON's BRANN DAILOR: BRENT HINDS 'Got Away With A Lot Of Things That Other People Wouldn't Be Able To'

In a new interview with The Downbeat Podcast, hosted by STRAY FROM THE PATH drummer Craig Reynolds, MASTODON drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor spoke about the lyrical inspiration for the band's latest album, "Marrow Deep", which arrived in August, roughly a year after the death of founding MASTODON guitarist Brent Hinds, whom the other members of the band fired acrimoniously a few months earlier, as well as the death of Dailor's mother in February 2025. The LP marks MASTODON's first full-length to feature guitarist Nick Johnston alongside significant contributions from keyboardist João Nogueira. "Marrow Deep" was co-produced by MASTODON at the band's own West End Sound in Atlanta with Patrik Berger (Lana Del Rey, Charli XCX) and Kurt Ballou (HIGH ON FIRE, CONVERGE) and was mixed by Andrew Scheps (Adele, BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA).

Brann said about the lyrical themes covered on "Marrow Deep" (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "For me, there's a ribbon that ties everything together, with using the Three Fates mythology, Greek mythology, to have the cover art. I just looked at the similarities between Brent and my mom — these are two people that we thought they had nine lives. And they did. My mom was in and out of the hospital constantly. She was pronounced dead four times and brought back and was always in the ICU and just dealt a real shitty hand in life. And Brent was just one of these guys that was constantly walking into the deep end and wanting you to come with him, and you're, like, 'Dude, I can't go in there. I got stuff to do.' And he would just be kind of a free spirit, but he just got away with a lot of things that other people wouldn't be able to. So we always thought that these two individuals, and for me what they had in common was they were these Keith Richards type of people where the big bomb could go off, and it would be Keith, my mom, Brent and some cockroaches, and the rest of us would perish. 'Cause Brent would always come out the other side of it smelling like roses. And we'd be, like, 'How is he doing all this? It's a magic trick.' But, unfortunately, it catches up with us all in the end, with the scissors and snips. So, that's basically the theme."

Elaborating on the songwriting process for "Marrow Deep", Brann said: "Everything was so fresh when we got into the studio. A lot of the music was already written, but we hadn't finalized... There was almost no lyrics for anything. So when we went into the studio, we only had lyrics for, I think, [the songs] 'Out Like A Lamb' and 'Poisonous Weapons'. And so the rest of them were like a blank piece of paper for us to kind of dig in and figure out what the hell we were feeling."

According to Brann, he and his MASTODON bandmates "went into the studio probably seven days after Brent had passed. But we had the time booked, we had everybody's flights [arranged]," he explained. "And I definitely questioned going in, 'cause I just wasn't in a good place mentally, physically. I felt heavy, and I didn't feel good — I felt ill. But it was the best thing for me, in hindsight, just working and going in and being with the guys, instead of rotting in bed, which is what I wanted to do. I wanted to dig a hole underneath the house and go lay there for however long it took me to feel better. I just wanted those feelings to be over. I was over it. I didn't wanna feel like this anymore, because I was already in it with my mom, and then with Brent there was a lot of turmoil, which was painful. That as well, 'cause I didn't want that to be our relationship. But I knew it had gotten to that point, and there was nothing else anybody could do except for hopefully take a break, and then maybe we can reconvene, and hugs and kisses in a little while. And then he passed away, which was just horrible. And I didn't know what to do with it. So we got in there. Luckily, I got in the car. I drove the space, got in the room, and started with song one, 'Barbarians Blood', and we started digging in on that. And I was, like, 'You know what? I feel better.' At the end of each day, I felt a little bit better. [I would] go home, have dinner with the wife, and be, like, 'Okay, I feel productive. I feel like this is the right thing to do, is to be in there and just play through it.' And having your mind occupied by the minutiae of the inner workings of a bridge. You know what I mean? Just be, like, 'Okay, maybe that could go like this.'

Brann continued: "The record itself is, if you really pay attention to it, it's very intricate. So there's a lot going on, and that was very helpful to sort of really overwork those parts and just make absolutely sure, and just pore over them every single day, all day long, and just be, like, 'Okay, no, we can do a...' And having João and Nick there was really awesome, too, because they're not as dug in as we are with a 25-year relationship that is now gone, and all this newness. And João had a close relationship with Brent as well, so I don't want to negate that, but not as long, obviously, as we have. And so they were like two golden retrievers in the studio with their tails wagging and, like, really excited to get in and work on stuff."

MASTODON is currently out on "The Poisonous Weapons" tour, a nationwide run of dates with support from DEAFHEAVEN and ALCEST, which winds its way east before closing out on October 24 at Sick New World Dallas.

Dailor, MASTODON bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders and guitarist Bill Kelliher remembered Hinds in a recently released documentary titled "The Mastodon In The Room". In the emotional feature, the three musicians addressed Brent's passing directly, saying they wanted fans to hear their story after seeing the speculation and headlines surrounding his death.

Last month, Hinds's estate filed a lawsuit against the surviving members of MASTODON, claiming that he had never been bought out of his share of the band and its related businesses before his death. The estate also accused MASTODON of using Brent's likeness after his death to promote "Marrow Deep".

A short time later, the surviving members of MASTODON issued a statement saying they "strongly deny allegations of ill intent," and that they would "vigorously defend what we believe is a meritless lawsuit."

In March 2025, MASTODON revealed that the band and Hinds had "mutually decided to part ways" after "25 monumental years together."

Hinds later claimed he had been ejected from MASTODON and called his former bandmates "horrible humans" in a social media post.

Hinds was killed in a motorcycle crash in Atlanta in August 2025.

A police report on the incident said that Hinds was at fault for the crash, having been traveling between 63 and 68 mph — roughly twice the speed limit at the crash site.